NASA heads into 2010 with the bittersweet assignment of retiring the space shuttle after nearly three decades. But the agency also plans to launch three new satellites aimed at better understanding the sun and Earth's climate and oceans.
Two satellites will examine Earth -- specifically, the concentration of salt in the world's oceans and the presence of aerosols, or minute particles, such as dust or ash, in the atmosphere. A third satellite mission will study the sun and its effect on space weather, including solar flares that can disrupt communication on Earth.
All three come at a critical time for NASA. Data will probably influence global-warming research, and the launches could serve as bright spots in a year otherwise dominated by debate over the future of the manned space program.
The two Earth probes "are extraordinarily timely," said Michael Freilich, head of NASA's Earth-science division. "It is a quest for understanding of the Earth system and
our ability to predict how our wonderful environment and our planet is going to change in the future."
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